David Warner's manager has ripped Mitchell Johnson for "ignorant" comments about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, and says it's "sad" when retired players criticise current ones.
Johnson threw a grenade under the Test summer with a fiery column in a Western Australia newspaper at the weekend, taking aim at Warner for a pre-planned retirement and reigniting the "Sandpapergate" debate – the ugly incident in Cape Town where Warner and Cameron Bancroft used sandpaper to alter the condition of a ball.
Warner is so far refusing to respond to Johnson's attack, but his agent James Erskine has gone on the offensive.
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"Mitchell Johnson was a fine player… and he's entitled to his opinion. But what surprises me is all these ex-cricketers who basically have a crack at the current lot," Erskine told SEN Sportsday.
"You would never get that happening in golf where Arnold Palmer was criticising Nick Faldo, or Chris Evert was having a crack at somebody else who was currently playing.
"I think it's a bit sad in a way. Sure they have an opinion, but I think it's to get a headline.
"There's no need to have a crack. If he wants to be a selector (then) put his hand up to be a selector.
"I don't see the point… it's a storm in a teacup, really.
"This reminds me of backseat drivers, they are bloody annoying, and quite frankly we don't need it.
"He is basically making comments that I think are incendiary. Come up with an alternative solution, pal (to Warner opening the batting). He hasn't come up with a solution.
"He's ignorant. If he actually thinks three people were responsible for Sandpapergate then he should go to the moon for a holiday. It's a joke."
Warner caused some controversy when earlier this year he announced he would retire from Test cricket following this summer's series against Pakistan.
Many saw it as a form of guilt tripping the Australian selectors into keeping him in the team for a farewell tour, despite largely awful form over the last three years.
A large faction of Aussie cricket fans thought Warner should have lost his spot atop the order long before this year's Ashes series, where he ended up scoring only 285 runs at an average of 28.50.
But Erskine says none of the contenders to replace him – namely Matthew Renshaw, Cameron Bancroft, and Marcus Harris – are good enough to push Warner out of the side.
"Collectively they have averages in the mid-20s. David Warner has played 109 Test matches and got an average of 44, got over 8500 runs," Erskine said.
"He doesn't want a swansong, he thinks he's the best guy for the job, and I think the figures show it. I think if he goes and gets two ducks in the first Test they'll drop him… but he won't.
"If there was someone sitting on the sidelines who was an absolute automatic to come in then bring them on, David would give them batting tips.
"The fact of the matter is there isn't. Between Marcus Harris and Renshaw and Bancroft, they've probably got a total of 1500 (Test) runs between them."
On Sunday Warner was named in a 14-man squad for the series against Pakistan.
The first Test gets underway on December 14 in Perth.
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